Do you have good customer service? Even for your free giveaways?

I have been thinking over the past couple of weeks why some WAHP's have trouble growing their business. They host chats or do online parties. They do giveaways and exchanges and it seems everything that they can do to help promote their business. So why do so many fail to get new customers?

I stumbled across the answer this holiday season. I had attended an online event that had giveaways that were sponsored by WAHP's and their Home-Based Business. I won two awesome products! I was so excited, as they would make wonderful Christmas gifts. I had won these prizes in the beginning of November in plenty of time to receive the prizes and wrap them for the holidays. I even told my son the awesome gift he was going to be able to give to his favorite tutor and he was so excited.

The weeks went by, I had contacted the sponsors and was told numerous times that they will be sending out the prizes ASAP. Well, just yesterday I received one of the prizes. The other, I have no idea if I will ever receive.

Now I know that sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. I understand that as unexpected things came up when I had to send something to another WAHP, but I made sure to inform the person what had happened and make sure I go out of my way to mail the item as soon as possible.

Its really no problem in my book as long as I am informed that something came up and I was not forgotten. BUT when you have contacted a rep numerous times to be told every time that it will be sent out and you never receive the items, you tend to lose faith, not in the company this person represents, but the actual rep themselves.

My point to this article is: Good customer service is not limited to only those who actually purchase items from you. Good customer service also includes those who have won items from you. You do not know who that person is going to give your prize to. I planned on placing those businesses cards in the package for re-orders, if the person liked the items there would have been future business.

As a Home Business Owner and a Direct Sales Rep myself, I keep track of those I do business with. Please remember even if someone did not purchase an item to still treat them like a valued customer. I refer people to others, if I know they have excellent customer service. I have a list of WAHP's that I will gladly refer others to.

Your main goal in doing giveaways, barters, trades, and prizes are to gain more customers. If you do not treat those people like you would your paying customers, you are defeating the purpose of your free giveaways.

Keeping your customers organized

File box with 3x5 cards filled out with names, emails, what they have purchased, birthdays, address, phone number, etc., work well to help keep you organized.

Have a section for paying customers and giveaways and contest winners.

Make a note of when you sent out their items and staple the delivery confirmation receipt to the card.

You can also keep all this information on the computer.